Vale of White Horse

Vale of White Horse's population increased by about 5,400 between the last two censuses. This semi-automated article highlights some of the key changes among the local population.

The population passed 120,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of Vale of White Horse increased by 4.6%, from almost 116,000 to 121,000.

The addition of almost 5,400 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Vale of White Horse was home to, on average, 1.5 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was lower than the average across the South East

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across the South East, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Vale of White Horse

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Vale of White Horse increased by two years, from 39 to 41 years.

This area had a slightly higher average age than the South East and remained slightly older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of almost 3,600 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by just over 2,000.

About 12.0% of people in Vale of White Horse are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Vale of White Horse by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Changing work life

The percentage of Vale of White Horse residents that were studying remained close to 2.7% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just under 6 in 10 (59.2%) people aged 16 to 74 said they were employed, compared with 59.8% in 2001. The percentage of Vale of White Horse residents that were unemployed increased from 1.6% to 2.5%.

The proportion of students fell at the third fastest rate of all local authority districts across England. The improvement brought health in Vale of White Horse close to the regional average 3.4% in the South East described their health as good in 2011).

The percentage of students was lower than across the South East

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 that said they were in education across local authority areas in the South East and the average across England, March 2011

Rise in private renting

Private renting increased in Vale of White Horse, but at a slower rate than all other local authority areas in the South East, except East Hampshire.

Every local authority area across the South East saw a rise in the proportion of privately rented homes, as the regional average grew from 10.2% to 16.5%.

Private renting in Vale of White Horse increased by 3.2 percentage points

Percentage of households in Vale of White Horse, the South East and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

More people living alone

Vale of White Horse saw the South East's second-largest rise in the proportion of one-person households.

In 2011, just over one in four (26.4%) households in Vale of White Horse had only one person, compared with 24.2% in 2001. The percentage of households comprising an unmarried couple increased from 7.9% to 9.4%.

Across the region, only Folkestone and Hythe saw a greater rise in the proportion of one-person households (from 30.7% to 33.3%).

During this period, Vale of White Horse went from having the 60th-highest to the 19th-lowest percentage of one-person households out of 309 English local authority areas.

The percentage of households with only one person was lower than across the South East

Percentage of households that comprised only one person across local authority areas in the South East and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Vale of White Horse

The 2011 Census asked a voluntary question about religion. Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation, the largest percentage point increase in Vale of White Horse was among those who said they had no religion, rising 12.1 points.

In 2011, 29.0% of respondents in Vale of White Horse gave this answer to the question on religion, compared with 16.9% of those who answered in 2001.

Across the South East, the percentage of people who answered the question on religion that described themselves as having no religion increased from 17.9% to 30.1%, while across England the percentage went from 15.7% to 26.5%.

Of those who disclosed their religion in Vale of White Horse, 68.4% said they were Christian, compared with 81.6% in 2001. About 0.2% said they were Sikh, compared with 0.1% 10 years prior.

The percentage of people who disclosed a religious affiliation and did not state their religion increased from 7.5% to 8.0%.

In Vale of White Horse, 7.4% chose not to answer the question on religious affiliation, compared with 7.0% in 2001. In South East, 7.4% did not answer the voluntary question, compared with 7.7% in 2001. Across England, 7.2% of people did not answer, compared with 7.7% in 2001.

The population without a religion in Vale of White Horse increased by 11 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents who answered the voluntary question on religion in England, South East and Vale of White Horse by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Vale of White Horse

The percentage of Vale of White Horse residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 7.2% to 7.5% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

In 2011, just over 1 in 40 (2.8%) reported being limited a lot in their day-to-day activities, compared with 2.2% in 2001. The percentage of Vale of White Horse residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 90.6% to 89.7%.

The proportion of people who are slightly limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 6.8% in 2001 to 6.7% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 6.8% to 6.5%.

The proportion of people who are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability was higher than across the South East

Percentage of usual residents that reported being slightly limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in the South East and the average across England, March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Vale of White Horse residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 5.8% to 3.4% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just under 9 in 10 (85.8%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 74.9% in 2001. The percentage of Vale of White Horse residents that described their health as fair decreased from 19.3% to 10.8%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 7.2% in 2001 to 4.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Vale of White Horse decreased by 2.4 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Vale of White Horse, the South East and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Fewer people worked long hours

The percentage of employed people in Vale of White Horse working more than 49 hours in the week before the census decreased from 13.9% to 11.3% between the last two censuses.

In 2011, just over 1 in 40 (2.8%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked less than 16 hours the previous week, compared with 1.8% in 2001.

The proportion of people working long hours fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 14.3% in 2001 to 11.2% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 13.0% to 10.1%.

Long hour working in Vale of White Horse decreased by 2.6 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Vale of White Horse, the South East and England that said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

More single people in Vale of White Horse

The percentage of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership increased in Vale of White Horse, but at a slower rate than across England.

In Vale of White Horse, the proportion of single people increased from 26.0% in 2001 to 28.3% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion across England increased from 30.5% to 34.9%.

Across the South East, the share of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership increased from 28.5% to 32.1%.

The proportion of married people in Vale of White Horse fell from 58.2% to 54.9%, while the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a marriage or civil partner increased from 8.7% to 10.1%.

The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership was lower than across the South East

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were single across local authority areas in the South East and the average across England, March 2011

Ethnicity in Vale of White Horse

In 2011, 2.5% of Vale of White Horse residents said they were from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups, up from from 1.1% in 2001.

Across the South East, the percentage of people from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from 2.6% to 5.0%, while across England the percentage went from 5.2% to 8.0%.

Around 94.9% of people in Vale of White Horse said they were from one of the White ethnic groups, compared with 97.6% in 2001. About 1.3% said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed), compared with 0.7% 10 years prior.

The percentage of people who said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from 0.2% to 1.0%.

The population from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups in Vale of White Horse increased by 1.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Vale of White Horse by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Changes in family structure

The percentage of households with children fell in Vale of White Horse, while rising in Oxford (the local authority area that shares the largest boundary with Vale of White Horse).

In Vale of White Horse, the proportion came down from 30.5% in 2001 to 29.4% in 2011, while across England it went up from 24.4% to 26.8%. During the same period, the regional proportion remained close to 29.2%.

The proportion of households without children in Vale of White Horse increased from 60.0% to 61.3%, while the proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents decreased from 9.6% to 9.3%.

The proportion of households with children was higher than across the South East

Percentage of households with at least one dependent child across local authority areas in the South East and the average across England, March 2011

Change in unpaid care

The percentage of Vale of White Horse residents that provided between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 0.7% to 1.0% in the decade to 2011.

In 2011, just under 1 in 50 (1.8%) reported providing at least 50 hours of unpaid care each week, compared with 1.5% in 2001.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 0.8% in 2001 to 1.1% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.1% to 1.4%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care in Vale of White Horse remained close to 1.0%

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Vale of White Horse by care, March 2001 and March 2011

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